Your Blood Like Wine
by dimkaluv
Summary: This is the shocking truth: I am in bed with a vampire. How could I let myself be seduced by evil, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. It started with a kiss… Sydney x Adrian. Bloodlines spoilers. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this fic is a little different. It's a Sydney x Adrian fic told from Sydney's point of view in alternating past and present tenses. It was originally supposed to be for my Wicked Deeds collection but it seemed like it would make more sense as it's own thing. It was an absolute pain in the ass to write (can you believe I've been working on this since last June?). There's only four chapters planned, but there's always the possibility of more to come afterwards. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! :)_

**Disclaimer:** These characters belong to Richelle Mead. I just play with them.

This story contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

**Warning: There are spoilers from _Bloodlines_. If you haven't read it yet and don't want anything to be spoiled, I suggest you don't read this story.**

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><p><strong>Your Blood Like Wine<strong>

Part I – Truth

* * *

><p>I was always such a good girl. I did my chores, said my prayers, and went to sleep each night knowing God had a plan for me...<p>

I'm not so good anymore.

"You can trust me, Sydney. Don't be afraid," he murmurs, his breath warm against my lips. He leans in close and the only thing going through my mind is _how could I _not_ be_?

When everything you've ever believed is being challenged, it's hard not to feel a devastating collision with reality. When you're no longer sure of the world around you, everything becomes a million times scarier. And when you've come face-to-face with your greatest fear… you either run the hell away or fall into it with open arms.

This is the shocking truth: I am in bed with a vampire.

How could I let myself be seduced by evil, you ask? Well, I'll tell you.

It started with a kiss…

* * *

><p><strong>THEN<strong>

I thought I'd gotten over my fear of fangs – Jill was so skilled at concealing hers it was hardly a concern for me. But Adrian. He just couldn't be bothered, exposing those sharp incisors for all the humans to see now that he was publicly intoxicated. I shuddered at just the sight, knowing what those sharp canines are used for: snacking on human necks.

When we made it onto the sidewalk, I constantly had to remind him to cover his biters up. Human women kept doing double takes. He was easy on the eyes, maybe even sort of cute if you're into evil and unnatural. Eventually some human would discover what didn't belong, and then all hell would break loose once it got out that there were Moroi in Palm Springs.

Where would we shelter Jill then? Morocco?

Eddie, noticing as I shrank back behind the group, nudged the Moroi in the side. "Adrian, man, you gotta be more inconspicuous," he said, gesturing at his own teeth.

Adrian shrugged his shoulders in that lazy way of his and slung an arm around Jill, who beamed up at him in that silly school girl crush sort of way. I knew she harbored no romantic affections toward him and was happily dating, albeit casually, Micah. But she still held Adrian up on some kind of pedestal as the ideal, yet unobtainable. Godlike. Which was completely absurd. There was nothing desirable about a chain-smoking, alcoholic vampire who tiptoed the border between sane and batshitcrazy.

My positive opinion of him had lessened in the weeks since Dimitri Belikov had been in town to assist with spirit research. Every little bit of progress he'd accrued towards bettering himself had been unraveled and he'd sunk back into his sloppy, party-boy ways. If he didn't buck up and start taking some initiative in this research, he'd lose his apartment and everything else he'd worked so hard to obtain over the months.

We piled into Latte and I drove Adrian back to his apartment. He stumbled out of the car and nearly face-planted onto the cement, scraping up his palms. Jill hissed at Adrian's pain, no doubt feeling it herself through the bond. Adrian turned and saluted us, probably thinking we were going to head back to Amberwood. In fact, that was our next destination, but there were a couple of things I wanted to tell him first.

I glanced back at Jill, Eddie and Angeline in the backseat. Eddie had his arm around Jill, who rested her head on Eddie's shoulder. She looked pale. Well, _paler_. All because Adrian hadn't been able to hold back on the liquor tonight after overhearing a phone call between Dimitri and Rose. Then he'd split from the group to hook up with some random girls he'd never see again.

Despite what he claimed, he'd never gotten over Rose. I sometimes doubted he ever would.

He was still fumbling for his keys when I approached. "Adrian," I sighed.

"Sage," he said, narrowing his eyes on the jumble of keys in his hand trying to figure out through the haze of intoxication which was the one that unlocked the door. I snatched them from him and pulled out the correct key, unlocking the door for him. "How would I survive without you?" he slurred.

"You wouldn't," I grunted.

Instead of outrage, he simply shrugged his shoulders and pushed open the door with his foot. That wasn't quite the reaction I'd expected. "What do you need, Sage? I thought the kids had to go back to daycare?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Go ahead, then," he prompted, gesturing toward the plaid sofa, the one he'd bought secondhand with his own money. It was ghastly with the goldenrod walls, but he'd been so pleased with the purchase I couldn't bring myself to criticize, it having been the only possession he'd ever had to work for.

I wrung my hands together, nervous about having to confront him. But someone had to do it.

"You said you were going to stop this… alcoholism."

He frowned, actually looking guilty for once. "I'm sor-"

"No! There's no excuse!"

I'd shocked myself more than him with that outburst. But it got his attention and his frown deepened.

He ran a hand through his brown hair, making it stand on end. "I know," he said.

"Adrian," I sighed, exhausted from searching for him after he'd wandered off to comfort himself with booze and casual hookups. "We've been through this. You know it's harder for Jill to keep you out of her head when you're intoxicated. You _have_ to stop. For Jill's sake, please."

"You think I put myself through this for the hell of it?" he hissed, suddenly glaring at me with those otherworldly eyes. I'd only seen him this angry once before, when I'd brought his mother into an argument. But I was angry too, and as long as I had his attention, I didn't care if he self-combust out of rage.

"You have a choice! Nobody forced you to guzzle martinis tonight!"

"Yeah, and nobody tried to stop me either."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm far outnumbered by you vampire hellspawn! I can't hold your hand and console you whenever you're feeling sorry for yourself!"

He winced as if I'd backhanded him, but recovered quickly, as if my cutting words hadn't bothered him in the slightest. A dangerous curve spread over his lips. "Please, tell me how you _really_ feel."

I wanted to scream. My fists clenched at my sides and I felt my face get hot, he made me so frustrated. "It's bad enough Jill gets sucked into your x-rated shenanigans through the bond. I don't need you intoxicating her as well, virtually or otherwise."

There. I'd said it. I folded my arms over my chest and gave him a contemptuous look.

"Ah, Sage's spine? How nice to see you again. It's been too long." He leaned so close I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I backed up as he crossed that invisible perimeter surrounding me, the space that nobody entered without my permission, and flinched as my back met the wall.

Nowhere else to go, with him barring the only way out.

"I'm here to protect Jill and make sure she's taken care of! You, of all people, should be _helping_ me, and yet you go off partying, give her virtual hangovers and subject her to things she's too young to experience, you selfish a-hole! You can go stake yourself for all I care!"

Just then I felt an almighty surge of… I don't know what. It was like heat and power, electric as it radiated off of Adrian in a flame of energy. I thought the vampires were the only ones with heightened senses. I guess my alchemist tattoo heightened mine as well.

Or maybe his anger was that substantial any normal person could feel it.

After all, what sort of idiot would risk pissing off a vampire?

* * *

><p><strong>NOW<strong>

Adrian thoughtfully fingers the gold cross hanging from a chain around my neck. He speaks without sound, and I try to read the hidden meaning off his lips without success.

"What was that?" I ask.

He shrugs his naked shoulders. "Nothing." He lets go of the pendant, and the flesh-warmed metal plunges back, settling just beneath my collarbone.

Funny, it looked as if he'd been saying a prayer.

"I never took you for the religious kind," I say, palming the cross and wondering why I even bother with it anymore. After the incident with the Strigoi and Ms. Terwilliger's fire amulet, I've begun to wonder what supernatural power is in my blood to be able to wield magic…

What evil is in me…

Adrian's eyes slide down to where I grasp the cross just above my breasts. "I go to Church," he claims. He must see the skepticism on my face because then he adds, "Well, I've gone once or twice. Don't tell anyone."

"Wouldn't want to tarnish that immaculate reputation of yours," I say with a roll of my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>THEN<strong>

I didn't even see him _move_. Suddenly I was trapped against a wall, assaulted by every well-formed inch of his lean body – which looking back now, was so much more powerful than it appeared. My hands shot out to push him away, but he easily gripped them both and pinned them to the wall by my head. My heart beat furiously and I was certain he could hear it with those unnatural vampire senses. Probably salivated from the blood throbbing at my jugular as well, with every fast paced drum of my heart. He stared down at me with such a crazed passion in his unearthly emerald green eyes that I believed he was going to kill me right then and there for the things I'd said. I whimpered slightly, reminded of the way I'd recently been bitten and nearly killed by Strigoi. Adrian had unsuccessfully attempted to rescue me then, but he'd still tried. He'd still protected me.

I wondered where that Adrian – Hero Adrian – was now.

Despite everything I knew about Moroi, I expected him to be cold, undead and unfeeling… but his body emitted a predatory heat that made me shiver and break out in goose bumps. I caught a glimpse of those deadly slashes of emerald as he revealed gleaming white fangs and lowered his mouth to my neck.

As much as I was prepared to call for help, no sound escaped me. I closed my eyes and prayed to the Lord, anticipating a swift, lethal bite to end my miserable existence. But instead of a sudden death, thin hard lips pressed tenderly into mine. The razor sharpness of fanged teeth scraped gently against the flesh of my bottom lip and I finally screamed and pushed him away with all my strength. The point of a fang stabbed into my lip as he moved away.

If he'd truly been evil, he might not have budged at all. But rather than tearing into me like an evil creature of the night, he left me there with both hands covering my mouth and the sting of blood on my lips.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** These characters belong to Richelle Mead. I just play with them.

This story contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

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><p><strong>Your Blood Like Wine<strong>

Part II – Golden

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><p><strong>NOW<strong>

Adrian gives a happy sigh and tugs me closer, smiling down at me with a promise in his eyes. "You really are beautiful, you know that? So beautiful." He frowns. "But good Lord, do I want to put a burger in you. You're too skinny."

"Not according to my father," I grumble under my breath bitterly.

Adrian's eyes widen with shock and outrage and I regret saying anything at all, having mistakenly steered the topic into dangerous territory I had no desire to confront today. It's annoying that his hearing is so much better than mine. "Is _he_ the reason you starve yourself?"

I turn away, averting my gaze to where my top lays at the edge of the bed, wishing I'd never allowed him to remove it. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Sydney," he says, cupping my cheek and guiding my eyes back to him. I realize he's serious because it's one of the rare times he's called me by my name. "Your father's an idiot. Your body is… perfection."

"You just told me I was too skinny. Which is it?"

He sighs. "You're perfect whichever way you come. _Naturally_, that is. I care about you too much to see you abuse yourself."

"So now I'm abusing myself?" I ask incredulously.

"No, just. No. But I know something of abuse, and you can't imagine how easily it begins."

He would know, wouldn't he. With his years of substance abuse to control the spirit insanity, he would know. Every day he's abused himself to prevent from slipping into madness. The only reason he isn't smoking now is because without his parents to back him financially, he can't afford the luxuries of his previous life. Though he seemed to be doing well despite not having his vices. Seemed quite in his own head these days, with the spirit insanity coming less and less. I wondered why that was.

Part of me is overwhelmed that he cares this much to confront me about my weight issue, even if the other part can't bring herself to listen.

"I consider myself something of an expert on the female form. Trust me, there is _nothing_ wrong with you." His lips curve into a sly grin and he leans in close so that I can feel his breath hot on my skin. I whimper in a strange mix of fear and arousal as his lips close over the pulse point in my neck. Then I feel his lips just beneath my ear. "Let me show you how perfect you are," he whispers as he guides my head to a rest on the pillow.

"I'm not perfect," I say as he stretches out on the queen-sized bed next to me. Adrian cups my cheek and guides my lips up to meet his in a slow kiss that leaves me breathless.

When he pulls away he smiles, letting his fingers trail down my neck, and halfway down the length of my arm where he comes to a stop at the bend in my elbow. "No," he says as he reaches around to unclasp my bra. "You're perfectly imperfect. And to an artist such as myself, it's those little imperfections that make you so desirable to me."

The garment falls loose and the straps slip a couple inches down my arms. I'm too busy watching the smolder in his eyes as he plucks the straps between long painter's fingers and pulls the fabric away. His eyes darken at the sight of me and I'm nearly tempted to cover myself.

"Relax," he says as he takes my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist. His lips heat a trail up my arm, farther and farther until he reaches my collarbone. I close my eyes when I think he's about to touch me elsewhere, but when I don't feel him anywhere I open them again and glance up at him confused.

"What's wrong?" I ask, fearing the worst. He's sitting on his knees beside me now, his pants stretched tight over a straining erection. Daylight creeps over my body like a warm lover, burning bright in my eyes and weaving sunshine in my hair.

"Nothing," he whispers breathlessly. "I just wanted to remember you this way – a golden lily blooming before my very eyes."

* * *

><p><strong>THEN<strong>

"Adrian's sick," Jill said to me on Sunday evening. She found me in a quiet study-room as I reviewed Ancient History notes for a test I had on Friday. "Dimitri wanted him to go on some investigation this afternoon and he spent too much time out in the sun, but you know Adrian. He thinks he doesn't need any help…" Jill sucked in a huge breath, having barely stopped rambling to breathe.

"Is he okay?"

"No! He's really sick. Oh, Sydney, he's miserable!"

I didn't like where this conversation was going, but she'd come to tell me this for a reason. "Well, what do you want _me_ to do?"

I knew exactly what she was going to ask when she didn't answer me right away. "Can you stay with him tonight? Just to look after him?"

"Absolutely not."

"He kissed you," she blurted suddenly.

"_You know about that?_"

She gave me a dubious look as if saying _well, duh_. If Adrian hadn't told her himself, she obviously had witnessed it through the bond or otherwise learned of it in his thoughts.

"He's really sorry about it. It was an accident. He was drunk and frustrated and… and…"

"And what?"

"Forget it. Please, Sydney? He _needs_ us."

I wanted to scream _hell no_ and run and hide in my room. I did _not_ want to be alone with Adrian, not with the way things had gone the last time. He'd terrorized and taken advantage of me. I was not about to let that happen again.

Jill looked at me with those pleading jade green eyes and I knew there was no way I could say no. Jill was probably feeling just as ill as Adrian through the bond and I couldn't let her suffer like that if there was anything I could do about it.

Hating myself for it, I decided I'd check if Adrian were still alive, see if he needed anything, and then come straight home to the safety of my dorm room.

"Alright, I'll check on him," I sighed. "I don't think I can stay the night though."

"Sure you can. I talked to Mrs. Weathers. She wouldn't let me, but since you're a senior she thought it'd be alright if you went."

"She said I could spend the night?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Why? She thinks he's our brother."

I swallowed my outrage. This was unbelievable. Did Adrian really need that much caring for? Or was he simply giving Jill the impression he needed to be babied? I guessed I'd just have to find out. Gathering my purse, I headed out to Latte.

* * *

><p><strong>NOW<strong>

I don't like the smirk on his face as he begins to tug my jeans off.

"Can you smile a little less, please?" I beg, fearing humiliation will permanently scar me from engaging in any kind of sexual encounter again in my life.

"Not a chance. I'm enjoying this too much."

"Can you enjoy it a little less then?"

He gives me a look and I decide no amount of begging is going to save me. "Come on, Sage," he says as my pants come all the way off. "Live a little. Get freaky."

"I cannot believe you just said that," I groan.

He smiles amusedly when he spots my classically white and modestly styled cotton panties. I bury my face in my hands and blush furiously, realizing that he must be used to more scant, risqué undergarments, the kind Victoria's Secret models get paid so much to advertise.

"Please don't make fun of me," I plead in a tiny voice, and this time I don't think I could handle the embarrassment.

He must realize how much this is affecting me, how blaringly obvious my inexperience is, because once I peek through the gaps between my fingers, I see that he's swallowed back that smile and now gazes on at me tenderly.

Then his lips bend into a playful grin as he inches his fingers beneath the elastic band. "Lily, I don't give a damn what you wear," he says dropping kisses along my neck, "as long as I can get you out of it."

I bite my lip anxiously as he begins to tug the material down my legs. Although I'm secretly pleased by the new nickname he's awarded me, I hadn't expected things to escalate this quickly after the pants came off and feel a little defiant that he's still wearing his.

Adrian's lips work at a tender spot on my neck in an effort to distract me as he pulls the cotton fabric all the way off. Needless to say, it works and he sits back on his heels and watches me meticulously, studying me as if I were one of his paintings. My stomach clenches and I instinctively squeeze my thighs together.

"No, none of that," he chastises, prying my thighs apart.

"Adrian–"

He cups my face and weaves his fingers through my hair. "_All_ of you is attractive to me," he assures me. "Please. Just let me see you."

How can I deny him that?

I nod, and his eyes alight with a burning anticipation that excites and worries me. I open my legs for him, but he doesn't touch, only looks. He says nothing as he takes me in, and somehow my heart seems to have doubled its pace, waiting for him to say something. I spend a few agonizing moments worrying he's disgusted that I'm not hairless.

"Oh, Sydney…" he sighs, and I gasp at the feather-light brush of his fingers against my most secret place.

He glances up at me and I can't tell what he's thinking. What if he thinks this is a mistake? Oh God… that would kill me.

* * *

><p><strong>THEN<strong>

After stopping off at a gas station to pick up some bottled waters and Gatorade in case Adrian needed fluids, I finally made it to the apartment.

I didn't have a key to get in. As I knocked I made a mental note to get a spare made especially for situations like this.

"Adrian!" I shouted. "It's me!"

No answer.

I knocked again, louder. "Adrian, open up!"

I was beginning to get worried. How sick was he, exactly?

Just then the door opened, and a sweltering heat poured out of the apartment. "Oh God, Adrian!"

He looked terrible. He'd been sunburned, his face, neck and forearms a startling red. His chest shined and his hair was soaked with sweat.

"It's so hot," he groaned through cracked lips. "AC's broken."

"Did you try taking a cold shower?"

He shook his head, grimacing in pain from what I assumed was a headache. Those usually accompany heat and dehydration sickness. And he probably didn't know how to treat that since his kind usually avoids the sun.

"Come on. Let's get you cooled down," I said, guiding him to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and let it run on the coldest setting, which wasn't very cold at all. I didn't want him to be nude around me so I pushed him under the shower while he still had his boxers on. He bent his head under the spray, letting the water hit the back of his neck. While he was busy cooling down I went to find something to ease the pain of his headache.

I found a bottle of aspirin in the bathroom cabinet among the various styling products Adrian used to get that perfect bed-head hair. Digging through my purse, I searched for something that might soothe the sunburns. Unfortunately, I didn't have my Alchemist supplies with me. The aspirin would have to do for now until I could put something together to heal his skin.

Somewhere nearby I heard a vibrating noise start up. After searching around briefly, I found the source: Adrian's phone. The caller wasn't one I recognized; in place of a name there was an angry emoticon.

"Hello?" I answered uncertainly.

I grimaced at hearing Dimitri's tinny voice on the other end, but that at least solved the mystery of the angry emoticon caller.

"Sydney? You're with Adrian? How is he?"

"He's very ill. You know, for a guardian, you've shown yourself to be rather negligent. The next time you take one of my Moroi out on a field trip in the _desert_, make sure they're at least wearing sunblock! 5,000,000 SPF ought to do it!"

"Hold on a second. He _insisted_ that he could handle the work and then didn't meet me at our designated location this evening."

"Wait… you weren't with him?"

"He decided it was best if we worked separately."

"Adrian…" I fumed with gritted teeth. It was stupid of me to think Dimitri would do anything to purposely harm Adrian. Dimitri was a _guardian_ for God's sake, trained to protect Moroi over himself. There's no way he'd risk putting a Moroi in danger. Not with everything he's been through.

But what would compel Adrian to stay out in the sun so long that he nearly baked himself to death?

I was plenty angry, but not at Dimitri, I realized. Adrian was a big boy. He should have _some_ survival instincts, and if the sunlight was hurting him, he should have found some shade or waited until the sun went down to continue with his research.

But considering all I knew about Adrian, having Dimitri back in the picture when he was still so broken up over Rose wasn't helping matters. Now that they had to work together on this spirit research, Adrian probably didn't accept that being Moroi would hinder him from keeping up with super badass guardian Dimitri. And when nobody ever took him seriously, maybe he felt like he had to prove himself.

"Tell Adrian I don't mind if he prefers to work alone, but things would be much simpler if we were both on the same page. And it would be safer for him if we worked together."

I agreed, but I didn't think Adrian would. Sighing I said, "I'll tell him. And listen, what I said earlier was out of line. I apologize for that. "

"Thank you."

"Is there a chance any of this spirit research can happen after sundown from now on? I'd like to avoid another situation like this if possible."

"I'll see if I can work something out."

I disconnected the call.

When I came back to check on him, Adrian was just stepping out of the shower. I abruptly turned, having noticed how see-through his shorts had become. They revealed _everything_ without revealing anything. I grabbed the nearest bath towel and thrust it at him, but Adrian was too oblivious to care about my prudishness. Under normal circumstances he may have made a flippant comment. He must have felt really ill.

"Here," I said, dispensing some pills into my hand and handing them to him once he was suitably covered. "Take this. It'll help with the aches." He downed the pills without a second thought and took the bottled water from me. "Sip it slowly," I quickly instructed. A sunburned vampire was bad enough. Didn't need a vomiting one as well.

He did as I said while I went to look for some dry clothes for him to change into. But when I went to his dresser I found zero clothing folded up inside. Well, all but a pair of socks that didn't even match.

_The closet_, I thought. Sure enough, every article of clothing he owned was in one giant heap on the floor, hidden away by the sliding glass door. He must not have known how to do laundry before attempting it on his own because I didn't think Adrian wore many tie-dyed shirts. I kneeled down to pick up the first pair of shorts I found, hoping they were clean.

A cold, wet drop plopped onto my head and ran down my forehead. "What the–?"

When I looked up I found Adrian standing over me. Seeing him so close so suddenly, without warning, and with nothing but a bath towel around his hips made me choke on my own breath.

"Why are you holding my underwear?"

"You're soaked. I was looking for some dry clothes for you," I said, angry he'd caught me going through his clothes. "Believe me, I'm not getting any kind of thrill rummaging through your dirty underwear."

"They're clean. I washed them yesterday," he said with a frown.

"Cause that explains why your clean laundry is in a pile on the floor in your closet…"

"I didn't have time to fold them, alright? Give me those," he said snatching his boxer shorts from out of my hands. The towel around his hips dropped and –

"Jesus!" I shrieked, covering my eyes. I'd seen _far_ too much this time.

"Oh, my god, Sage. Would you just relax?" he said irritably.

"You're the one getting naked in front of me!"

"Cover your eyes if it bothers you so much."

"My eyes _are_ covered!" I shouted.

"STOP SHOUTING!" he yelled. "Good Lord. Modern medicine is a miracle, but could you give me twenty minutes to let the painkillers kick in? And you can open your eyes now," he grumbled.

I slowly uncovered my eyes and watched as he grimaced in pain and kicked the wet towel in the direction of the bathroom. He stumbled and nearly fell, the kick having thrown off his balance.

"Whoa, watch out," I said as I attempted to help steady him. "You should lie down."

"Can you…?" he asked, and I nodded, letting him put his arm around my shoulders as I guided him to his bed.

He needed to feed. He'd become so dehydrated that whatever blood he'd recently had needed to be replenished again. I didn't want to, but realizing this demanded urgent attention, I dialed Clarence's housekeeper, hoping it wasn't too late for her to make a house call. Either that or I would become the alternative and that sure as hell wasn't happening. I pulled up a chair next to the bed and had him sip more water as we waited.

She came about thirty minutes later, and by that time Adrian had cooled down a little more, utilizing a handheld battery-operated fan I found in the kitchen. It was a kid's souvenir from Disneyland which depicted various cartoon characters and misted water if you pressed the trigger. He still complained about the headache but seemed to be doing better. I went to the living room when he and the housekeeper got down to business. Knowing a vampire was in the other room feasting sort of skeeved me out.

"You can come in now, Sage," Adrian called as soon as they were finished.

I entered the room just as the housekeeper was clumsily getting to her feet. "Do you need some help?" I asked, knowing Moroi saliva has certain effects when it enters the bloodstream. She stumbled a bit, but regained her balance.

"I'm fine," she said with a happy sigh.

"I can drive you back to Clarence's," I offered.

"She said she's fine, Sage," Adrian grumbled.

I'd chock that attitude down to the raging dehydration sickness for now.

"Alright. I'll help you to your car. You should probably give yourself a few minutes before you get out on the road though."

"Thank you, Miss Sydney," she said lightly. The endorphins were still giving her a high, but it would wear off soon enough.

By the time the housekeeper had gone it was five after ten. I'd missed my curfew. Sighing at the prospect of having to stay the night, I reentered Adrian's apartment. He was up when he shouldn't be and hanging onto the wall.

"What are you doing?" I groaned.

"Little help here, Sage. Dizzy." He threw his arm around my shoulders. "I didn't think you were coming back."

"Well, I'm here all night. I'd go, but the dorms are locked down by now. Where are you headed?" I asked.

"Bed. Please."

"You were going the wrong way," I said, turning him around. Dehydration really messes you up if you're a vampire.

"You're disappointed," he said, and I don't know how he knew, but he was right.

With a tired sigh, I said, "I just don't understand you." When he looked confused, I further explained, "Dimitri called. I can't believe you would do something like that. You deliberately put yourself in harm's way today, and for what? What are you trying to prove?"

He scowled. "I couldn't stand the thought of working with that bastard."

"Bastard or not, if you hadn't ditched Dimitri you wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"I don't need a babysitter, alright!" he shouted and I flinched in surprise.

"I didn't say you did," I continued carefully. He'd been agitated all night but I think I'd hit the nail on the head with that one. "It's just, this research is too important for you to be screwing around, and you're going to need to work with him eventually."

Adrian gave a bitter laugh just then and shook his head in frustration. "I'm such a failure. I say I don't need a babysitter, and yet here you are tucking me into bed. I'm so _worthless_," he said with disgust.

"You're not a failure, Adrian. How can you be a failure when you've barely gotten started? You don't need me or anyone else to take care of you. You just need to be more responsible with your actions. I know that's a quality _somewhere_ inside of you. And you're not _worthless_. Just don't go risking your life over Dimitri. We need you."

For a long time he didn't reply. Then finally he added quietly, "You _need_ me, huh?" The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile and I regretted saying anything at all.

"_Jill_ needs you," I clarified.

"Ugh," he moaned as he suddenly doubled over, clenching his stomach with one hand and palming the wall with the other. I backed up a little in case the contents of his stomach decided to make an unplanned appearance.

"Are you alright?" I asked, gently patting him on the back, his skin burning as hot as the sun beneath my fingers. Adrian's shirtlessness didn't bother me quite as much as it would have a couple hours ago, considering all that I'd seen, and I caught myself vaguely assessing his physique: his back and shoulders were spectacular, all lean and muscular. Most Moroi didn't have that much muscle on them, but Adrian wasn't your typical Moroi. As he bent forward the column of his spine became visible and I was nearly tempted to trace my finger down the length of it.

"Your hand's cold," he murmured. I took my hand back but then I heard, "Felt nice…"

"Okay, come on," I said, shaking off whatever brief insanity had overcome me. "You need to rest."

We began our weird shuffle step as we staggered our way back to his bed where I could be rid of him for the night. He groaned as he got in and I took pity on him and tugged the sheets across his body.

"Sage," he said drowsily. Feeding and being sick must have exhausted him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you do something for me?"

"What do you need?"

"Close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

"Please," he sighed. "I need… you have to close your eyes." I rolled my eyes and did as he requested. There was a brief shuffle noise, that of a body rustling around under bed sheets.

"Adrian?" I asked, wondering if it was the best idea to close my eyes around a vampire. He'd seemed too helpless to pose any kind of threat however.

His hands cupped my face and my eyes popped open wide just as he descended his mouth upon mine. My heart thudded hard against my ribcage as if it wanted to get out. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think and just sort of stood there idiotically and let him kiss me with those dry, cracked lips. I couldn't help recalling how soft and moist they'd been the last time I'd felt them.

"Thank you," he whispered against my lips.

I didn't say anything as I headed for the door.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


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